Flexible sheet containers are well known and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Portable flexible sheet containers, such as baby wipes containers, cleaning towels containers, and the like are popular for their mobility. Dispensing versions of these containers are particularly popular for their ease of use. They are convenient in situations where a user needs to quickly and repeatably grab wipes or towels. For example, when a messy spill occurs, it is desirable for a user to quickly and easily grab successive cleaning towels as needed while cleaning the spill. In other situations it may be desirable for a user, such as a parent changing a child's diaper, to be able to grab successive wipes with minimal complexity. It may be inconvenient and time consuming to peel-off or otherwise manually separate the towels or wipes.
Refillable versions of flexible sheet containers are also popular. These containers allow a user to save the expense of purchasing a new container along with each new packet of flexible sheets. Further, they reduce waste, since many containers may be refilled numerous times. They are also economical for carrying fewer amounts of wipes, such as is the case with refillable mini-packets, because replacement sheets can generally be purchased in bulk for less per sheet than in smaller quantities.
With many of these dispensing containers, it is often necessary to feed a leading sheet of a stack of sheets into the dispenser. This may be necessary, for example, when refilling sheets. It may also be necessary to feed a leading sheet at other times, such as when opening a new container with pre-filled, but not pre-fed sheets. Further, sheets sometimes tear during dispensing. They may also jam or otherwise fail to dispense properly. It is necessary in these instances to re-feed a leading sheet.
The process of feeding a leading sheet in many of the existing containers entails a user removing a cover to gain access to an underside of the dispenser. For example, a user may need to push or “feed” a leading sheet from underneath through the dispenser portion of the container. With other existing containers, a user may need to thread a finger through a tight orifice to grab a leading sheet. A user may also need to use a tool to feed a flexible sheet through an orifice. These options are not desirable, particularly for portable containers or in situations where a user needs quick access to additional sheets.